A DIY craft blog

Rag Quilt Letters & Numbers Tutorial

These have become an instant hit in our house! My daughter just hasn’t stopped playing with them (she’s really getting into learning her abc’s and all now).

And, my husband like that these don’t hurt his feet like the wooden alphabet blocks she normally will have scattered all around the house. I have many ideas for rag letters in the future. I am going to make a Merry Christmas banner with them for sure and maybe a Happy Birthday one. Here is the quick how to. Mine aren’t firm at all, but if you wanted more stable ones you could add some interfacing to the layers as well. Also, you could add felt as the backing they could stick to a felted board, etc.

-Quilt batting (I used felt on the lower case letters to make it more stiff and interfacing on the numbers.)

-Fabric pen

-Sewing machine, scissors, etc.

Directions:

1. Print out letters to trace. I used Microsoft Publisher to create the letters and made them all the same size and used the same font. You could do this in Word as well, or Photoshop. You could also just free style it, etc. Cut the letters out.

2. Trace the letters onto the fabric that you will use for the top.

3. Cut the letters out in square shapes.

4. Cut out squares of quilt batting and backing that will be the same size of the letter.5. Make a sandwich of the fabrics and quilt batting. Place the back fabric right side down. Then place the piece of interfacing on top of that. Next, place the top fabric right side up. Pin together. Sew on the tracing.

6. If you desire, you can quilt it or just leave it.7. Trim the edges of the three layers. Leave at least 1/4 inch around the edges of the letters.

8. Clip the raw edges. Make clips straight into every seam allowance. Stop before you reach the seam allowance.9.Throw it in the washing machine and then the dryer. They will come out all raggedy around the edges.

Hi Jessica! I’ve been a reader of your blog for awhile now. You always have such lovely projects and tutorials! I’m thinking about making these for my niece who is 1 1/2. Do you think this would be age appropriate, or is she too young? I loved the idea! About how big would you say each letter is? I’m worried about not having enough scraps. Thanks!!

“…who is 1 1/2. Do you think this would be age appropriate, or is she too young? I loved the idea! About how big would you say each letter is? I’m worried about not having enough scraps.”

I printed out two letters on a page and they came out at almost 7″ tall and almost 4/5″ wide. You can make them as small as you like, or bigger! My daughter is 23 months and started getting some letters down around 1 1/2. It’s never to early to present letters, numbers, reading, etc. to little ones. They learn so much in their first four years of life.

Upper case letters may be traditional for tots learning their letters in the US, but lower case makes a lot of sense. The lower case shapes are more distinctive and help more when the time comes for books.

Hello!I really like your how to. I was wondering if I could translate it in French and add it to my list of how to as explained in my french post (http://www.petitcitron.com/index.php/form_howto.html)Of course, your website would be quoted and there would be a link!Thank you,Perrine

I’m working on these now. A Christmas gift for my niece (who is only a few months old right now!) I think I made them a little too small – just 3″ high – but it will do! I’m going to make numbers for her too!

These are really cute. Someone gave us a store bought set for my son when he was a younger but I’d really like to make a set for little brother. Much more personal to make it yourself, and you can chose the fabric!

Eighty-seven kinds of brilliant you are. Thank you for sharing–they will be perfect for my boy. And another little pink set for my niece for Christmas. I’ve been looking for a little something to to go with the books she loves and this fits the bill perfectly.

Jessica, Just found your blog and I am loving it. I am working on my letters and having a hard time finding a pen/pencil that will write dark enough so I can see it when I sew the letters. Do you have any suggestions for that? I’ve got light and dark fabrics! Thanks

“I am working on my letters and having a hard time finding a pen/pencil that will write dark enough so I can see it when I sew the letters. Do you have any suggestions for that?”

For the fabrics I couldn’t see the fabric pencil I had, I just used a ball point pen. But maybe chalk? I know quilters sometimes use soap leftovers to make their quilting lines. It does work and washed right out.

I love your project and finished the lower case letters the other day. My two yea old loves them. I adapted the directions slightly making it even easier. And on my upper case letters, that are almost finished, for the batting, I used washed organic baby wipes that I would just throw into the wash with the dirty diapers. Check them out here: http://tamarathomas.blogspot.com/2010/01/lower-case-fabric-letter-finished.html

I have been struggling to teach my almost five year old his letter sounds. One of my friends made these letters and referred me to your blog. Thank you for this great tutorial! I can’t wait to get started!

I have had SO much fun making these letters for my little girl with your tutorial. Thanks SO much! I’m now on the hunt for new fabrics for the lowercase letters. I posted my attempt (and a link here) in my new blog. http://delilahsmomma.blogspot.com/THANKS for the awesome tutorial!

Hi, Jessica! These letters are so adorable! I made one as an applique for a shirt and I would love your thoughts on it…search for me on facebook at Fiddle ‘N’ Bow and check it out in my For the Prince album!

Thanks so much for the tutorial. I made a Wall Hanging with my first grandson’s name. I wanted something better than the traditional wooden letters, so you inspired me. I posted a picture on your flicker group as well as on my blog. Of course I gave credit to your wonderful idea. Again thank you!

We are adopting a little boy from China and are making a 100 good wishes quilt where 100 people send you a piece of fabric and a wish. This would make a great quilt, and he could learn his ABC’s. I thought I could put 1-9 on it as well! Great idea!

You are so creative and inspiring! I love these letters, what a great idea. I started making some this weekend, but my letters seem to be smaller than yours and I couldn’t figure out how to make them larger with the pdf file. Did you stitch and extra layer around them to make them bigger?

The sewing line is the exact line of the leters. Maybe you are sewing further in than this? You could make your own letters in Word, Publisher, etc. by using Word Art if you want to make them bigger. Hope it all works out for you

Maybe they are the same size and I was just getting confused. Either way I’m almost done and they are looking great! So excited for my daughter to play with them. Thanks again for the tutorial, you have wonderful ideas!

Thanks for the “oohs” and “ahhs” I got at a shower last fall with these.:) And I only did four letters! (“Quin.” I just put pics up on my blog with a link to your tutorial. http://bit.ly/bwPxC6 ) I LOVE the pics of your daughter playing with them! What a fab toy. And a cute kid.:)

I’m kind of a beginner so I had to ask- I know you said to throw them all in the wash together when you are done, but do you recommend still washing all the fabrics separately before sewing? Or is washing the fabrics for the first time what helps give them the ‘rag’ effect? Thanks so much, I can’t wait to make them for my daughter!

“I know you said to throw them all in the wash together when you are done, but do you recommend still washing all the fabrics separately before sewing? Or is washing the fabrics for the first time what helps give them the ‘rag’ effect?”

There is really no reason to wash the fabrics prior. It’s washing them after you have made them and clipped the edges that the wash will make them raggy. The more washed the more raggier. The seam you sewed will keep the fabric from fraying no more than the edges. I only worry about washing the fabrics prior to making clothing, because I don’t want to make something and then it shrink and I can’t wear it any more.

Thanks for sharing this idea with your fellow bloggers! What a GREAT idea! I am a mommy of five boys 10,9,7,3 and 1. We’re homeschooling next year and I was looking for some fun ” educational things ” to do for my youngest boys. This is perfect!!! Thank you so much. I can’t wait to tackle these letters and even numbers!

Thanks so much for this really cute idea. I used pinking shears to cut around the edges and it saved me a bit of time. They still came out frayed in the wash.My 2 1/2 yr old son loves letters and calls them all “I’s” or “E’s” or “S’s” so hopefully this will help him get them straight.

I LOVE this idea!!! I’m going to try them soon, but I am also interested in these types of fabric letters as bean bags. Have you ever tried these with some sort of filler inside? I’m just curious to hear your thoughts on it. Thanks!

Hey girlie, I saw these when you first posted them and loved them. I came back in search of the post so I could share it on my new blog. So I’ll be linking up. It’s a blog dedicated to early literacy at home and I think these are perfect. Thanks so much!Visit sometime http://www.onthelap.blogspot.comGraciously,Aimee

I love these so much that I made some for my son. I teach at a Montessori school and we teach the d’nealian form of the letters, so I made mine in that form. My son loves them! I just posted pics of them on my blog, weareteamreed.blogspot.com

You have a great mind and have come up with a fantastic idea. Just AWESOME! Where were these when my own children were small??? I might have to make some of these for my Granddaughter soon. I LOVE this idea. Thank you so much.

These are so great Thank you for the template I am going to make these instead of sandpaper letters for my 2 year old who only loves fleece. I will add a link to you when I blog it. tammy from middleofthemitten.blogspot.com

“I love the fabric you used for the back. but I can’t find it ANYWHERE. can you please help me!!!!”

I used vintage chenille which I found on Ebay. Most fabric stores sell new chenille fabric too. It’s usually with the “baby” fabric stuff. Most people use it for blankets. I hope you are able to find some

I found your quilt letters a few months ago. the very same day I set out gathering my fabric scraps, cutting out letters, singing zippity do da day! I have two sets of the capital letters and two sets of the lower case, washed, frizzy and done! I enjoyed the entire process!thank you for sharing! I want to wait to post photos after my niece’s birthday(2yrs. old) in early December.

This is a great project…I have a quick question since I am NEW to sewing…I made one number (#7 – easiest!), and the quilt batting is sticking out between the last stitch and the edges. Is this correct? I have an eight month old – worried about her putting the batting in her mouth! I am not sure if I cut the batting to wide?

“made one number (#7 – easiest!), and the quilt batting is sticking out between the last stitch and the edges. Is this correct? I have an eight month old – worried about her putting the batting in her mouth! I am not sure if I cut the batting to wide?”

It does stick out the way I did it. If you are worried, you can just trim the batting before clipping the edges or cut the batting smaller before sewing the three pieces together. It will just take a little more time

So cute! I have a question. Did you backstitch at the beginning and end of your stitching or did you pull the thread through and tie a knot? I backstitched and can’t help but think that the threads will come loose someday. Also, I just made a set and wanted to suggest that you trace (backwards) the letters on the fabric that will be the BACKSIDE. That way, you can see it better than on the front of the printed fabric.

Great project! I just wanted to let you know that we featured this project on our Facebook page with almost 12,000 fans. We’d love it if you’d use our Featured Blogger button, available at: http://www.dailycraft.com/thank-you-for-crafting/. Our audience loved the project and we look forward to sharing more from you. Please let us know if you have any questions or projects you’d love us to feature! Thanks!

Quilting is basically sewing the layers together. I just used straight lines, but some people use free motion quilting. If you search quilting techniques, I’m sure all kinds will show up and you can decide on what you would like to do.

I happened to stumble upon this page a little while ago, and now I am hooked on your blog! There are so many things in your tutorials that I can’t wait to make. I’m kind of new to sewing, but think this would be a good place to start. I can’t wait to work my way up to making the sailor dress!! You are so talented I can’t stand it!

To use the patterns, I just print them out on old paper and pin the letters directly onto the fabric and sew along the lines, then tear the paper away. Seems to work fine.

Also, after washing the letters, they are frayed (naturally) and there are often strings hanging off. I trim them, but do people have to worry about these threads coming off and possibly getting in a child’s mouth when they are washed a second time?

I loved this idea for my granddaughter! I used fat quarters that I found on sale. Also, I made each upper and lower case “match” by using the same fabric. As a teacher, I thought it would help her learn both caes more quickly! Thanks for sharing your idea!

I just found these today and LOVE them! Went and got the things I needed… I haven’t sewn in YEARS so I am hoping I can do a half way decent job on them!!! Thanks for the great idea!!! My daughter is quite young but I am super excited about making them!

I want to make these as a gift for my soon to be 2 year old granddaughter. I love the idea! I have a couple of questions. How much fraying and loose threads are there after some time of being played with? And what about trimming with a pinking sheers to help with preventing fraying?

Hi Gretchen Good questions! These are now played with by #2 and I can say neither have ever gotten any threads or batting off. I would suggest cutting close to the seam, so if a child did get some off, it wouldn’t be long or thick pieces. Pinking sheers are a good idea or even sew a zig zag stitch around the edges to encase the raw edges. I was worried about this with my first as she was awful about putting everything in her mouth. At first, I only let her play with them when I was able to sit down with her. Once she got a bit older she could use them whenever, but she really liked them best when we played games with them together.

Thanks for your reply! The pinking sheers didn’t work with that many layers. (It may be that mine is dull as it is very old.) I am doing the zig zag edging instead, as you suggested. My concern was not so much for them being put in the mouth but for the overall look and longevity of the letters. So far I love the way they are turning out. I’m about 1/2 done! Thanks again.

Did you snip only the fabric or the felt too? Also, any advantage to using felt versus batting on the capital letters? Also, did you cut the batting just size of letter or larger like the fabric pieces. I’m a new to sewing so I have lots of questions.

Hi Corrie I snipped the fabric and felt. The batting just makes it softer and the felt makes it firmer. I liked both ways. I cut the batting larger like the fabric pieces, although, you could do smaller and maybe try to avoid it sticking out on the edges. I just didn’t want to put that extra work into it And please, feel free to ask as many questions as you need.

Considering felt for capital letters too? Any reason to using batting instead? Did you snip felt or only fabric edges? Finally, (Sorry new to sewing) did you cut batting to just size of letter or same square size as fabrics? Thannks LOVE LOVE this…Christmas idea.

I recently did a quilt for one of my granddaughters. I used the alphabet theme and used fabric for each piece with pictures of something starting with that letter, ie A with apple fabric, B with balloons. I think I have enough scraps to do the same with your letters. What a great idea…..Kathy

Hi, I love these and am making the upper case letters this weekend! Super excited. I was also looking at making the lower case letters, but how did you deal with the dots above the i and j? Did you just leave connecting fabric between them or omit the dots all together? Thanks again for the wonderful tutorial!

To those who made these – what did you find was the best way to get the center pieces out of letters like B, A, O .. etc. I’m having a rough time getting them to look nice. Tried regular scissors and Exacto knife but its not looking too hot

What size of batting did you use? (1/4, 1/2, etc…) Also, I found cheap muslin with batting attached, kind of like the back of a quilt, and wondered if it would make it easier to just sew the fabric to the front of that and eliminate one step… any suggestions?

I really have no idea what size the batting was. To be honest, it was whatever was cheapest from JoAnn’s! If you have any scraps, you could always try it out and see which thickness you prefer. I see no reason why you couldn’t use that muslin/batting material. I think that’s awesome! I’m all for making things easier

I’m right in the middle of making a whole uppercase set for my daughter. I’m using fun cotton prints/bright solids for the top side and some bright fleece for the back. Each vowel has the same color combo and the rest of the letters will be an alternating pattern of 3 other color combos. As for sewing, I have just been putting the paper pattern piece right on top of the fabric and then gently removing the paper afterwards. Thanks for the idea! I’m having so much fun with it

I am working on two sets of these for my 2 and 3 year old niece and nephew. I’m pleasantly surprised at how quickly I am getting them done. I am gonna have to make another set for my baby, though I am contemplating placing the baby-safe crinkle paper in some of mine! Question, have you made them bigger than the pattern? For some reason the ones in the pic look slightly larger than the ones in the pics, but maybe because the girl is young the letters seem like they’d be bigger?

Crinkle paper would be fun! I have only made them using the pattern I share. The only thing I can think of is if you are opening it in something other than Adobe Acrobat to view and it’s shrinking it. I know that the preview on Mac computers messes up sizing and pattern makers are always saying make sure to print it out when it is open in Adobe. So maybe that is what it is? You can always create your own letters very quickly using word art in Word and make them any size you like Just use a boxy font to make for easier cutting.

I love these letters and am making them for my grandson’s second birthday. Do you have a pattern for the cute bag shown holding the letters? I’m so excited to see them and have a fun project for these cold winter days.

Hi I actually don’t have a bag for them, but many people have sewed one up to hold them. I have seen many people create a simple drawstring bag for them. If you do an internet search for “drawstring bag tutorial” I know you will find one that will be perfect

WOW, look at the age of this original post, but look at us still finding it! These are PRECIOUS! I babysit for a 4 year old, and it would take me a while to make all of these (and I can’t sew very well in a circle, so I may have to do mine more squared off) but I could SOOOOO make these for her birthday or for next Christmas. Take my time, give me some room for trial and error, that sort of thing. Or make her one of her name for the playroom she is getting here. I have a friend having a baby. Once she gets a name picked out, I would LOVE to make her these letters, and make a banner for her nursery! ADORABLE!

“Who am I at 48″…I was just thinking, what if you bought an inexpensive canvas tote and then make a colorful matching liner for the bag. Once he is “too old” for the letters, the bag would be a great book tote or overnight bag! Or even a “green” grocery bag for mom

I was looking for letter templates as I’m making bunting for my friend’s daughter’s room and I wanted to personalise it. She’s 18 months old – the daughter, not my friend – and they’ve just moved to a new house. I came across your tutorial and now I have another project to make for her 2nd birthday, what a good idea! I also have a friend who does quilting and has small grandchildren, so I passed the link on to her. The word is spreading around the south London area now…… Thank you so much!

Hello,
I realize this is an old post but I really want to make this asap. I’m new to sewing and would really appreciate a detailed supply list. I dont want to buy too much or too little fabric, for example(and no, I don’t already have scraps because I don’t sew). It’s also greatly appreciated if you would let me know of the least expensive place to purchase items needed. I want it to hold out, so quality is a must. But of course I don’t want to break the bank either. And I guess it would be smart to say how much I want: I would like 2 sets of capital, lower case, and numbers 0-9. So I guess that’s 4 sets in total and about 124 “pieces”.
Thanks in advance.

If you wanted to put a little money into it you could buy fabric with a print that goes with each letter. For example use fabric with airplanes to make the letter A. Fabric with balls on it for the letter B. Make the lower case letter from the same fabric to help them learn that they go together.

I saved this post years ago to my Pinterest board and printed out the pdfs today. Will be making them for my two small great granddaughters (Riley 17 months and Haylie 5 days). Of course that will lead to bunches of sets because once my granddaughter-in-law shows them to her sister military wives I always get a call with orders. I’m sure my little girls will get many happy hours playing with them. Thanks so much!

I am making flannel stuff sacks for my grandsons, and will make “Merry Christmas” to put in one bag, and “Happy New Year” for the other. I am using leftover flannel from their cousin’s quilt I made a few years back. Great directions, thanks so much!!

[…] in for Wiggles. ♦ Free patterns and basic instructions for the letters can be found at: Rag Quilt Letters & Numbers Tutorial – Happy Together ♦ A pattern and video tutorial for the bag is available at: Easy Zippered Box Pouch Tutorial […]

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